1. Technical Field
The primary technical field relates to vehicle mounted pedestrian guard barriers, and more particularly to a barrier which automatically deploys to divert foot traffic away from an area adjacent an exhaust pipe.
2. Description of the Problem
Diesel engine equipped vehicles have been the subject of ever more stringent requirements designed to reduce exhaust gas emissions in recent years. These tighter requirements have been directed to reducing particulate emissions among other byproducts of the combustion process. In order to reduce particulate emissions, diesel-engine equipped vehicles have come equipped with diesel exhaust particulate traps, which filter particulate matter from the exhaust stream. These filters are subject to periodic regeneration or after treatment when the build up of matter in the trap begins to unduly restrict the exhaust system. The particulate matter is oxidized in situ, which results in a substantial increase in exhaust gas temperature, potentially as high as 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. Children walking around a school bus to board the bus could inadvertently be exposed to the high temperature exhaust stream. Where buses are waiting at a school to pick up children they are typically parked in close proximity to one another to the point where there is potential for paint damage to the bus directly behind a bus equipped with an active after-treatment system.